Gui Fei Oolong

This one is a sample with my co-op order. I used the whole sample, and I actually used a thermometer and a timer to make this. Go me!

I am stressing a little bit about work, over vacation time I have left for the year, and a trip I want to take in the fall. It’s really silly. And I’ve bent over backwards for them, so I think as flexible as I have been for them, they can be a little flexible with me.

Anyhow, that, plus customers at the end, plus a big refund at the end of the day messed up my mojo (I still ended up doing well, but $300 less good). I wanted to have something comforting, and I thought that the simplistic nature of a straight, but complex oolong would be what I needed.

Sadly, as tasty as this is, it is not what I needed. It is a nice medium roasted oolong. Not too dark, but definitely out of the realm of green. The leaves still unfurled some with the first steep, and they are a dark brownish with tinge of green.I do get roasted apple and almonds with a little floral note. And it is fairly sweet on its own, though I did end up adding a little sugar, but half of what I normally use.

I admit I was hoping for this to be a little darker, maybe like an Oriental Beauty, but it is not. This isn’t to say I don’t like this, because that is not true. But my mood is affecting how I am receiving it…it’s tasty, but not what I was hoping for, so it might be time for some hazelnut or a dessert tea.

I had this a while back late one night and forgot to log it, oops. It’s pretty unusual compared to the oolongs I’ve tried so far—it has a burnt carbon/roasty-to-the-extreme element that I doubt is to everyone’s taste but I find intriguing, and easier to handle given there’s also a fruity fresh tart-sweetness. Some woodiness too. It’s not one I could drink absentmindedly, but its unique, almost challenging flavors would be great on a fall evening when I want something interesting to capture my attention.

I’m not sure what to think about this. It was good to try, but not necessarily my cup of tea. I’m just not that big on unflavored oolongs right now. Something I think I’ll eventually grow into a bit more, but not right now.

I taste citrus and maybe some nuttiness…I think. And it’s green tasting, which isn’t something I care for much in my tea. Might be why I’m not enjoying it as much as the other reviewers here did.
I need a list of flavors/tastes/etc when I drink unflavored tea. Might help my ineloquence when writing these things. XD

I’m gonna hold off rating it ‘cause it’s not exactly fair when it’s my taste that’s wrong, not the tea. Lol! I’ll probly keep a cup or two’s worth around to try again later when I’m a bit better at tasting nuances and the like. But this one’s mostly gonna go in my swap pile.

I love this one iced. It has that deliciously strong “tea” taste with a toasty lingering, and with the natural sweetness I only ever feel the need to a small bit of honey to it. Definitely my favorite of all the iced tea experiments I’ve been conducting over the past few days! And I am glad to find an oolong I like iced, since it’ll be nice to get a resteeping or two out of it.

I’m having a blast trying the different oolongs that I ordered from Butiki. This is good stuff. It’s complex. Lots of flavors going on here. I definitely get the burnt toast flavor, which I love. I also taste a nutty flavor. Really good stuff!

Wonderful oolong with lingering flavor. This is an incredibly interesting, and perplexing tea given it’s description. I was expecting something like a traditional roast Dong Ding, but it is in fact a lot more like a Dan Cong in flavor. Wonderful sweet apple and honey fragrance with a hint of something floral in the first steeping. Later steepings give some more astringency and actually are better with a shorter steeping. Oddly, you get more of the roasted notes in later steepings. Because of the roast and the lingering aftertaste, I’d immagine this one would be a good candidate for aging as well.

Smells roasty in the bag, yet there is also a sweetness there, almost like roasted marshmallows or something.

After steeping, the smell reminds me of roasted nuts, toast, and honey. A bit floral. Maybe just a hint of boiled spinach or greens. Mineral/hot rocks also. The roasty-toasty honey-like flavors comes through on taste as well.
Great oolong.

I have been very bad and not reviewing my teas. But not entirely bad, because I have been drinking them quite regularly.

I’m having this as an after-dinner beverage, as my tummy is acting up again and oolongs are supposed to be good for digestion. I’m tasting more fruitiness and less flower than last time, and maybe even some honey notes. Not sure if I’m noticing the non-floral flavors more due to drinking a fair number of oolongs since I first tried this one, or if leaving the tea in a clear plastic bag on top of the fridge for a month altered it. Either way, it’s sweet and delicious.

Being fairly new to oolongs I don’t know how this is in comparison to others, but strictly from a tea standpoint, it is fairly unique. I am currently on my third steep, having conducted first steep for 1 minute and second steep for 2, this one got 3, and my next and last for these leaves will get 4. That said, I might start with a 2 minute steep next time or add just a few more leaves for a stronger, more potent brew.

The aroma is a distinct and sweet aroma, like a flower I can’t think of the name of. Magnolia? Hibiscus? I’m terrible with plants, so the right comparison escapes me. The liquor is clear with a light golden hue. The leaves barely opened up on the first steep, and only partially opened up on the second. They’ve finally fully bloomed with the third steep. And finally, the taste is a faint sweet nectar with a slightly roasted character.

I accidentally steeped this tea for 10 minutes – oops! Still very tasty. Very strong toasted flavour with a lingering floral taste. I’m not really getting an apple taste like others have mentioned – perhaps on the second steep.

Steep two: Much better this time. There is a hint of nuttiness with a fruity-floral taste and the toasted flavour I was getting from the first steep is more of an after-taste now. Yum!